20 Most IMPORTANT Classic Rock Albums Ever Made
7. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
At the start of the 60's, Bob Dylan was being heralded as the next great American songwriter. His first attempts at protest music like "Blowin in the Wind" became instant anthems, with Dylan himself being mentioned in the same breath as other giants like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Being the unofficial spokesman for a new generation, Dylan decided his best course of action was to veer into the opposite direction.
Rather than come out with another collection of folk songs, Highway 61 Revisited shows Dylan rebelling against the very same music that had become his calling card. Though the song "Like A Rolling Stone" was still folk-tinged, the tone and attitude were much more in line with rock than the Peter, Paul, and Marys of the world. This kind of pivot appeared disastrous at the time, but it was just what the rock world needed.
Sure, the songs were a bit harder than Dylan's previous work, but this album showed that rock could have something to say other than love songs and party songs, with "Ballad of a Thin Man" being one of the most scathing indictments of critics in the history of music. Dylan was already subverting the expectations of the younger generation, but with Highway 61 Revisited, he punched a hole in the future and never looked back.